Department of Biology
New Publication in Collaboration with the Steinicke Research Group (UHH, Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction)
31 March 2024, by Website Team Biologie
Photo: unsplash maxim hopman
Previous studies from the Diekhof research group have shown that visual perception of illness cues can enhance mucosal immune responses. In our first immersive experiment, we examined whether social interactions with virtual agents in Virtual Reality (VR) could trigger the release of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in saliva. In a VR bus station scenario, 70 participants had to interact with ten agents, some of whom were sneezing. The results showed a significant increase in sIgA secretion in response to sneezing. However, a similar increase was observed regardless of the sneezing. This suggests that intimate interactions in VR alone are sufficient to proactively promote sIgA secretion.
